Rescuers use drones to help evacuate thousands as floods devastate region

JHANG (AP):

Emergency workers in Pakistan’s Punjab province used drones to find people stranded on rooftops by massive floods as the government expanded its rescue operation with more than 900,000 evacuated, officials said Monday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department warned of more heavy rain in Punjab’s flood-hit districts and elsewhere in the country, where weeks of above-normal rainfall and the release of huge volumes of water from dams in neighbouring India last week caused rivers to overflow into low-lying regions.

Authorities say Punjab, the country’s most populous province, is facing its biggest floods on record.

In Multan and Jhang districts, residents on Monday waded through floodwaters carrying their belongings to roadsides and higher ground. They said they had waited for rescuers before crossing on their own nearly 5-foot (1 1/2-metre) -deep water to reach safety, while many others remained stranded.

Since last week, rescuers, backed by the military and emergency services, have evacuated more than 900,000 people from more than 3,100 flood-hit villages, said Irfan Ali Kathia, director general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority. More than 600,000 farm animals were also moved to safety, he told a news conference.

“We are handling an unprecedented situation, and we are responding to Punjab’s biggest-ever floods by using the latest technology and all available resources to save lives,” Kathia told The Associated Press. The Punjab government said drones were deployed this week in Multan, Jhang, and other districts.

“Our priority is to save lives and ensure a steady supply of essential items to survivors,” Kathia said. The deluge has swamped Narowal, Sialkot, and Kasur districts while entire villages have been submerged in Jhang and Multan.

On roadside embankments, displaced families complained of being abandoned.

“We have been destroyed. Everything is gone in the flood,” said Haleema Bibi, 54, who fled her damaged home in Jhang with seven relatives. They now shelter under the open sky without tents or food.

“Whatever we had to eat has nearly finished. You can see how miserably we are living,” she told The Associated Press.

Allah Ditta, a farmer from the same district, said he and his neighbours slept on plastic sheets and carts. “Rescuers came once by boat, but no one has brought us supplies. We keep looking to the road, hoping someone will come with help,” he said.

Farmer Malik Ramzan said authorities advised villagers to move to safer places, but no rescue camps were established. He said robbers often loot abandoned houses, another reason he chose to remain in his flooded home in Rajanpur district.